20 questions with Henry BurrisBack to video

At 41, Burris — a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000, 2003 and 2004 — is the one laughing these days at all those who doubted him along the way. The greybeard of the quarterback fraternity led the CFL in 2015 with career highs in pass attempts (678), completions (481) and passing yards (5,693). He marched his 12-6 Ottawa Redblacks all the way to the Grey Cup game, in which they lost 26-20 to the Edmonton Eskimos.

Burris is the CFL’s reigning most outstanding player and in position to go out on his own terms — a luxury most professional athletes can only dream of.

Postmedia caught up with the man known as Smilin’ Hank in a break from training for his 17th CFL season.

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Q: You are 41 years old, Henry. Please tell the rest of us the secret to defying age.

A: I guess it’s hard work, honestly. Hard work and putting the right foods in your body. That’s what I do every day. And I’m fortunate. My parents passed on good genes to me.

Q: How many games did you miss due to injury in your CFL career?

A: Back in 1999, I had an ACL tear. I missed a lot of games that year. In total, I would say I’ve missed 12 to 15 games throughout my career.

Q: So how in the world do you stay so healthy with so many quarterbacks going down across the country?

A: Until quarterbacks understand that they need to go down get out of bounds and stop trying to run over people, they’re going to keep getting hurt. As quarterbacks, we don’t get paid to run over people. We get paid to make smart decisions, be on the field and help our team win games.

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Q: You might want to send Bo Levi Mitchell in Calgary a note about that…

A: I know. Tell him to get his butt down, go out of bounds or throw the ball away.

Q: You are the reigning most outstanding player, but two teams (Calgary and Hamilton) have shown you the door in the last five years. How much does that fuel you?

A: One of the clichés I’ve heard about the CFL is that your success leads to your demise as a player. It’s amazing how true that is. Nothing those teams can say will change what I’ve been able to do and how I’ve been able to help other organizations that have given me the chance to come and play. As athletes, we need to find things that get us going. And when people show me the door — regardless of what I’ve done on and off the field and how I’ve helped bring their organizations out of the basement or what have you — I have to use that as fuel for my fire as a player.

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Q: What’s life like as a winning quarterback in Ottawa?

A: It’s been amazing out here just with all the opportunities I’ve received. This off-season, I’ve been hosting CTV Morning Live working toward my future career in broadcasting. I’ve also got my charity event (the Henry Burris All-Star Weekend) started. My family has received much support in our bid to become Canadian citizens. Ottawa has given us a lot of opportunities. It’s just such a consistent economy with the federal government being here. We’ve really enjoyed our stay out here and look forward to many more years of residing in this city.

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Q: What was it like growing up as the son of two social workers in Oklahoma?

A: It was pretty sweet. They showed me the realities of life. We didn’t grow up with a white picket fence lifestyle. My parents showed me the basics about hard work and what it takes to succeed in any industry. And trust me, we didn’t get out of line, because my dad was a boot sergeant. He would have kicked my butt if I did.

Q: What was your first job?

A: I used to work construction for my uncle. He owned his own construction company. I would help build — pour concrete, hoist two-by-fours, hammer and nail. I would get on rooftops, lay the tar, and put the shingles on. I did all that type of work. It was hard manual labour, but it was great to be around family and friends, make a couple dollars and go out and get a pair of shoes and some jeans that I liked and the new Atari Games.

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Q: You are showing your age there, Hank …

A: I’m trying to think. Was it Atari? Nintendo? Sega? I think it might have been Sega at that time.

Q: Your sons Armand and Barron play hockey, right?

A: Yep. They’re both skating their butts off. They’re doing a lot of good things out there playing hockey and showing off their athletic ability.

Q: Any football yet?

A: Not yet. There’s never any time. Even in the summer, they play soccer and basketball. But my youngest, I think he might be the one. I’m working on him right now.

Q: How is your skating compared to your boys?

A: Oh my goodness. I’m like a baby in a stroller, and they’re like the professional figure skaters you watch on TV. That’s the difference. I need one of those chairs to skate. But the big thing is I’m just taking caution, because I don’t want to get injured right now. I’m just being ultra-cautious. Once I’m done football, I’ll be out skating with the kids and then we’re going to start skiing together as well.

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Q: Why do you want to become a Canadian citizen?

A: We love this country. My wife Nicole and I, we’ve spent so many great years up here. We’ve made so many great friends across the country. In the U.S, there’s freedom, but it’s nothing compared to the freedom you experience up here. When we go back to the U.S., we don’t feel like we’re at home.

Q: Video replay, good or bad?

A: Good. Just not pass interference. I’m tired of that. That one is a waste of time (laughs).

Q: You are the CFL commissioner for a week. What’s your top priority?

A: Expose the players more, because that’s what makes the game. All CFL sponsors: you have to have players in your commercials to promote your products and your company. Me personally, I would focus on building the relationship between the players and the sponsors. Building up the players builds up the league….And another thing: I would market every game. Because the two most marketed games in the CFL are Labour Day and the Grey Cup. And what are the two games that sell out? Labour Day and Grey Cup. So market every game. Make every game feel like if you miss it, you’re missing out on something.

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Q: Who is the hardest hitter you’ve faced throughout your entire CFL career?

A: Man, there’s a few out there. A long time ago, back in the day, it was Alondra Johnson and Barrin Simpson. And then as we got older, it became guys like Marcus Ball with Toronto along with the boys in B.C. – Adam Bighill and Solomon Elimimian. Those two guys bring the wood. And of course, A.J. Gass and J.C. Sherritt. There’s just so many out there … Charleston Hughes, Juwan Simpson. When they hit you, you definitely know it’s them.

Q: How long do you plan to keep playing?

A: One year, two at most.

Q: What are your plans for life after football considering you have your degree in broadcasting and communications from Temple University?

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A: I definitely want to do a lot of things in the media. I have a lot of experience in news, but I think I’m more of a morning show guy. Doing the morning show in Ottawa this off-season has shown me the light. I like interacting with people and informing people about things in the community. I like waking people up the right ways. And my wife and I are putting together some sports and wellness companies for kids as well. That’s in the works right now. Those are our two main cogs. But we want to reserve time to spend as a family, because playing football takes that from you as well.

Q: Tell us the truth. How does Henry Burris feel about the “Good Hank, Bad Hank” handle?

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A: It’s the worst analogy ever. I still don’t know where it comes from. I don’t know how people came up with it. Is a quarterback supposed to have a great game every time he steps on the field? Yes, but not even Tom Brady does.

Q: Why do you smile so much?

A: Life is just so short. We’ve all had people who have come and gone in our lives. My dad always told me to live every day of your life like it’s your last. My dad got drafted into the Vietnam War. He saw death. He saw hell on Earth. For all he’s done to help me have this life – playing professional football, being married to my beautiful wife with two adoring kids – I do have to smile. I have great friends. I have great colleagues that I work with. Life couldn’t be any better. I’m blessed to still be out there doing what I love, and I have to be excited about that every day.

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